Comments on: Savoring Religious Life http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/ Catholic Sisters and Nuns in Today's World Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:58:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: A Sister for 90 Years! « A Nun’s Life http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/#comment-1756 A Sister for 90 Years! « A Nun’s Life Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:55:59 +0000 http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/#comment-1756 [...] 90 Years! Published July 13th, 2007 Current News on the Nunfront I recently posted an article about young nuns and now I’ve got a good one for you on the other end of the age spectrum. 108-year old nun [...] [...] 90 Years! Published July 13th, 2007 Current News on the Nunfront I recently posted an article about young nuns and now I’ve got a good one for you on the other end of the age spectrum. 108-year old nun [...]

]]> By: Lily http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/#comment-1754 Lily Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:57:33 +0000 http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/#comment-1754 Well, huge classes where not the norm back then, but neither were orders having to close, merge, sell their property or close down their schools like they are now. I think balance is need. I dont think classes of 100 people ( like the sisters of charity used to have) are comming back or even should come back. I think with smalller classes ( no more than 20 or so) it is alll around better. More time is spent on idividual formation of the sisters, and it is not a huge shock to the community ( suddenly having that many new members ). Just my two cents. Well, huge classes where not the norm back then, but neither were orders having to close, merge, sell their property or close down their schools like they are now. I think balance is need. I dont think classes of 100 people ( like the sisters of charity used to have) are comming back or even should come back. I think with smalller classes ( no more than 20 or so) it is alll around better. More time is spent on idividual formation of the sisters, and it is not a huge shock to the community ( suddenly having that many new members ).

Just my two cents.

]]> By: Lisa http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/#comment-1752 Lisa Tue, 10 Jul 2007 00:01:10 +0000 http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/#comment-1752 The point the "other" Sister Julie makes is essential to our considerations of religious life today. People, religious included, often lament the absence of the novitiate classes of the 50s and 60s without contextualizing that in fact religious life was not as populated in the early 20th century as it was in the middle. In someways, I think religious life today is the penduluum swinging back to the middle, to balance, and it is our challenge, professed religious and covenanted lay alike, to find its full expression. The point the “other” Sister Julie makes is essential to our considerations of religious life today. People, religious included, often lament the absence of the novitiate classes of the 50s and 60s without contextualizing that in fact religious life was not as populated in the early 20th century as it was in the middle. In someways, I think religious life today is the penduluum swinging back to the middle, to balance, and it is our challenge, professed religious and covenanted lay alike, to find its full expression.

]]> By: MMajor Fan http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/#comment-1753 MMajor Fan Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:18:24 +0000 http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/#comment-1753 Great article! I enjoyed reading it. They sound very thoughtful and passionate in their commitment. They are right in their comments about the historic context. And while women entered convents as alternatives to marrying, they brought with them a baseline faith that was stronger and more predominant in society at that time. Another parallel is in medieval times when a estate owner had 3 sons, son 1 became the professional heir, son 2 went to the military, and son went to clergy. While that sounds like pigeon holing a profession, the baseline piety at that time was so strong that a vocation could be "assigned" like that. So these great women nowadays face an overall lowering of societal piety overall, plus being fewer in numbers and companionship. That is indeed as Patricia Shea comments very much like the earliest times of the Church. Often one entered a town being the only Christian, in order to evangelize. The Christian evangelist would then seek out lay people. The pairing of sisters with laity is a great strength. The more they do the more they contribute to getting the word out about vocations in a local living example kind of way. The Church is fortunate and blessed to attract these fine women religious! Great article! I enjoyed reading it. They sound very thoughtful and passionate in their commitment. They are right in their comments about the historic context. And while women entered convents as alternatives to marrying, they brought with them a baseline faith that was stronger and more predominant in society at that time. Another parallel is in medieval times when a estate owner had 3 sons, son 1 became the professional heir, son 2 went to the military, and son went to clergy. While that sounds like pigeon holing a profession, the baseline piety at that time was so strong that a vocation could be “assigned” like that. So these great women nowadays face an overall lowering of societal piety overall, plus being fewer in numbers and companionship. That is indeed as Patricia Shea comments very much like the earliest times of the Church. Often one entered a town being the only Christian, in order to evangelize. The Christian evangelist would then seek out lay people. The pairing of sisters with laity is a great strength. The more they do the more they contribute to getting the word out about vocations in a local living example kind of way. The Church is fortunate and blessed to attract these fine women religious!

]]> By: Another Sister Julie CSSF http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/#comment-1755 Another Sister Julie CSSF Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:52:03 +0000 http://anunslife.org/2007/07/09/savoring-religious-life/#comment-1755 We are gathered at our provincial home and were just discussing this phenomenon of the huge novitiate groups of the past. One of our sisters reported that the large novitiate groups only appeared after World War I and continued to the 1960's. What we have now, of only one or a few women entering communities a year, was the norm before that boom time. We are presently in the midst of reconfiguring our eight (8!) North American provinces, and one of the first things we did was to establish a centralilzed Novitiate. That way, God willing, there will be peer groups ("classes") of novices. We presently have one second year and three first year novices with another one joining them soon. Praise God! We are gathered at our provincial home and were just discussing this phenomenon of the huge novitiate groups of the past. One of our sisters reported that the large novitiate groups only appeared after World War I and continued to the 1960’s. What we have now, of only one or a few women entering communities a year, was the norm before that boom time.

We are presently in the midst of reconfiguring our eight (8!) North American provinces, and one of the first things we did was to establish a centralilzed Novitiate. That way, God willing, there will be peer groups (“classes”) of novices. We presently have one second year and three first year novices with another one joining them soon. Praise God!

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